Operational flexibility of active distribution networks with the potential from data centers

Abstract With the development of information technology, the scale and quantity of internet data centers (IDCs) are expanding rapidly. IDCs have emerged as the major electricity consumers in active distribution networks (ADNs), which dramatically increase the electricity load and have a significant impact on the operational flexibility of ADNs. Geographically distributed IDCs can participate in the operation of ADNs with the potential for spatio-temporal load regulation. This paper proposes flexible dispatch strategies of data centers to improve the operational flexibility of ADNs. First, a data-power model of IT equipment is proposed based on piecewise linearization to describe the power consumption characteristics of data centers. The flexible dispatch strategies for the delay-tolerant workload are further proposed from two aspects of temporal transfer and spatial allocation. Then, considering the potential for spatio-temporal load regulation, the operational flexibility analysis model with data centers is formulated to adapt to the operational requirements of ADNs in complex environments. Case studies show that through the spatio-temporal regulation of workload, the energy efficiency of IDCs can be effectively improved. The flexible dispatch of IDCs can also reduce the voltage violation and feeder load imbalance of ADNs, which can facilitate providing the high-quality power supply for IDCs.